"My ancestors shed blood for the World Government and made contributions to Marine Headquarters!"
Storm snapped back to reality, disregarding the identity of the man before him as he directly demanded answers.
"What did I do wrong to warrant being outright expelled by Headquarters?"
As for the Marines, Storm didn't particularly like them, but he didn't hate them either.
After all, this was a world where everything was rotten to varying degrees.
In Storm's eyes, being a "Marine" was just an identity—a job.
And since it was just a job...
Indifference aside, what the hell was this nonsense about being fired out of nowhere?!
"You didn't do anything wrong."
Aokiji scratched his messy, unruly afro.
"And you're not being fired—you're submitting a resignation."
Are you even listening to yourself right now?
Storm stared at Aokiji incredulously.
What difference was there between "being fired" and "submitting a resignation"?
Unless Marine Headquarters didn't have to pay severance if he "resigned"? Wait, did the World Government even have labor laws?
From Storm's reaction, Aokiji finally realized something.
"Did Instructor Zephyr not explain the reason to you?"
Aokiji lowered his head, massaging his temples as wisps of white frost emanated from his body.
"Ah, geez... and he was the one who recommended you in the first place..."
Zephyr's recommendation? Storm glanced at the letter in his hand, then raised it slightly.
"Instructor Zephyr only wrote a recommendation letter. He said Admiral Kuzan would explain everything."
"Ah, geez."
Aokiji let out his signature catchphrase again.
"Always dumping extra work on me... what a pain!"
Putting facts aside, isn't this your own problem? Storm thought silently.
He had no intention of getting involved in whatever "conflict" existed between two generations of Marine Admirals.
Without a word, he stepped forward, placed the recommendation letter in front of Aokiji, then quickly retreated to his original spot.
Aokiji glanced at Storm before opening the letter and skimming through it in seconds.
Storm had no idea what Zephyr had written in that letter.
But he did notice that the white frost radiating from Aokiji's body was growing thicker.
The temperature in the Admiral's office plummeted accordingly.
Storm could practically see his own breath forming mist in the air.
"Recruit!"
A sharp bark snapped Storm's attention back as Aokiji suddenly looked up, his gaze piercing.
"During your time in the training camp, did you publicly insult the Celestial Dragons, calling them pigs?"
Aokiji's expression was as cold as ancient, unmelting ice as he spoke.
If not for the hideous green-patterned eye mask resting on his forehead, he might have actually looked intimidating.
"First of all, it wasn't public—it was during a private conversation."
Storm's lips twitched as he openly admitted to his past "crime."
"Second, it wasn't an insult—it was an objective description."
"Lastly, I didn't say 'Celestial Dragons are pigs.' I said, 'Celestial Dragons are scum even worse than pigs.'"
It wasn't as if there were no Marines who insulted the Celestial Dragons.
Take Monkey D. Garp, for example.
That old man could openly curse out the Celestial Dragons even in the holy land of Mary Geoise.
But so what? That was Garp! A Marine hero himself, with a son who led the Revolutionary Army and a grandson who looked set to become the next Pirate Emperor.
What's the big deal about cursing the Celestial Dragons? Even the World Government didn't bat an eye! But Storm was just a rookie Marine.
Insulting the Celestial Dragons—and getting caught by his superior officer.
Storm sighed inwardly.
Damn, this could really hurt my career...
Would Aokiji exile me to some remote branch in the Four Blues?
If that happened, it'd be—
Absolutely perfect!
Aokiji's expression grew increasingly stern, the biting cold in the air threatening to freeze the entire admiral's office solid.
But in the next instant, the frost thawed, and the ice melted away.
"Pfft—HAHAHA!"
Aokiji burst into loud, booming laughter.
"Rookie! Now I see why Instructor Zephyr recommended you for the SWORD Unit!" "You're one hell of a character!"
The SWORD Unit?
The Marine Headquarters' classified special forces—the SWORD Unit? Storm caught a crucial piece of intel in Aokiji's words.
He quickly pieced together everything he knew—
Zephyr had sent him to Aokiji specifically to recommend him for the SWORD Unit?
"By the way, rookie—no, Vongola? Or should I just call you Storm?"
Aokiji wiped away the ice crystals that had formed from his laughter and regained his serious demeanor.
"Do you know about the SWORD Unit?"
He did, but not much.
Playing the clueless newbie, Storm shook his head.
"The SWORD Unit, or the Blade Unit, if you prefer."
Seeing this, Aokiji began his explanation.
"It's a classified special forces unit established by Headquarters, roughly equivalent in strategic importance to the SSG led by Dr. Vegapunk."
"Members of the Blade Unit, to put it simply… are Marines who've already submitted their resignations."
"The Blade Unit's mission is to take down pirates—every last one of them, even the Pirate Emperors!" "Beyond that, the Blade Unit doesn't answer to any orders."
"It's a free-roaming 'guerrilla force.'"
Aokiji finished outlining the basics of the Blade Unit.
Then he fell silent, giving the other man time to digest the information.
To be honest.
What Aokiji described matched Storm's intel almost perfectly.
The only surprise was that the Blade Unit's strategic standing was on par with the SSG!
SSG, short for "Special Science Group."
The name might sound unfamiliar, but its combat capabilities were formidable.
[Pacifistas], [Laser Guns], [Bubble Shields], [Green Blood], [Seraphim]…
Every one of these groundbreaking inventions was tied to the Special Science Group.
The SSG practically single-handedly upheld the Marine Headquarters' scientific division! Its importance spoke for itself.
How could the Blade Unit possibly compare to the Special Science Group?
Then again.
Aokiji rattled off details about the Blade Unit like it was second nature.
Did that mean he was its highest-ranking officer?
Just as Kizaru commanded the Marine Headquarters' scientific forces.
Except Aokiji, after leaving the Marines, became the Tenth Titanic Captain of the Blackbeard Pirates. If Aokiji was the top authority of this "guerrilla force," the Blade Unit…
So...
He was an undercover agent?
A series of thoughts flashed through Storm's mind.
Just then, Aokiji continued speaking.
"Storm, Instructor Zephyr spoke very highly of you in his letter. He believes your temperament is well-suited for the SWORD Unit."
At this point, Aokiji paused, casually listing a few points from the recommendation letter.
"Disciplined, diligent, not blindly obedient to authority, and possessing a unique sense of justice."
There was one more thing Aokiji didn't mention.
That was Storm's absolutely impeccable family background! For three generations, Storm's ancestors had all been Marines.
Even within Marine Headquarters,
Marines as talented and capable as Storm—true "Navy-blue seagull flag bearers"—were rare.
The SWORD Unit was a classified special forces team.
Its unique nature demanded that its members' identities remain "absolutely pure."
Storm's family background perfectly guaranteed this "purity."
Aokiji fixed his gaze on Storm and extended the invitation.
"Recruit Vongola Storm, would you be willing to join the SWORD Unit and become a member of this classified force?"
Storm remained very calm and didn't rashly agree.
Joining the SWORD Unit had both advantages and disadvantages for him.
As everyone knew,
a righteous Marine only needed to follow orders and serve as the World Government's obedient lackey.
But the SWORD Unit, which could disregard orders and act freely, had far more considerations to weigh.
"Before answering that question,"
Storm spoke after a moment of silence,
"I still have a few things I need clarified."
Aokiji nodded, seeing no issue with it.
"Go ahead."
Storm asked first,
"The SWORD Unit is a classified special forces team—how high is its clearance level?"
Aokiji replied simply,
"Within the Marines, only the Fleet Admiral and Admirals are privy to the complete roster of the SWORD Unit."
Storm pressed further,
"What about the World Government?"
"The Government?"
Aokiji's expression turned rather subtle.
"The Government won't know the SWORD Unit exists."
Huh? Seriously?
Storm was utterly shocked.
The SWORD Unit's independence was that high? Even the World Government didn't know about it?
With severely insufficient intel, Storm could only choose to tentatively accept Aokiji's explanation.
He quickly moved on to his third question.
"Since the SWORD Unit can launch attacks against the Pirate Emperors, what about the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
Generally speaking,
without explicit permission from the highest authority—the Five Elders—
even Marine Headquarters couldn't lightly provoke conflict with the Pirate Emperors.
Even minor friction could escalate into full-scale war.
But the SWORD Unit could directly assault the Emperors!
That was the SWORD Unit's uniqueness! Given that,
what about the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea—those "official pirates" endorsed by the World Government?
Were they also within the SWORD Unit's jurisdiction?
Aokiji gave Storm a deep look.
As a Marine Admiral,
how could Aokiji not understand the harm the "Royal Seven Warlords system" inflicted upon the Marines and justice itself? But it was, after all, the World Government's policy!
A special measure implemented to stabilize the seas and divide the pirate factions!
Marine Headquarters had no authority to question it.
However, the SWORD Unit...
Aokiji slowly nodded.
"Agreed."
The SWORD Unit could even take on the Emperors, so what's stopping them from fighting the Warlords? As for resisting the World Government's policies and orders...
"But I must warn you in advance, Storm."
Aokiji said solemnly.
"Marine Headquarters will not take responsibility for the actions of SWORD Unit members, and their military status could be revoked at any time."
Especially if orders came from the World Government.
In fact, Marine Headquarters might even actively erase all traces of SWORD Unit members!
"One last question."
Storm paid no heed to Aokiji's warning, instead flashing a relaxed smile.
"If I join the SWORD Unit, will my salary increase?"
"Of course! The benefits of the SWORD Unit are undoubtedly among the best in the entire Marine forces!"
Aokiji also smiled.
"The SWORD Unit welcomes you, Vongola Storm."
Storm didn't respond verbally, simply raising his hand in a silent military salute.
He was boarding the SWORD Unit's ship!
Since Storm was willing to join the SWORD Unit,
Aokiji wasted no more words.
He cut straight to the chase.
"To be brief, the SWORD Unit currently has a critical mission that needs immediate attention.
"Recently, the balance of power in the New World has undergone drastic changes.
"Following the Whitebeard Pirates, Beast Pirates, and Big Mom Pirates, another pirate crew has risen to prominence.
"The so-called 'Iron Wall Pirates'—the Red Hair Pirates! The New World now has its fourth Pirate Emperor—Red-Haired Shanks!
"Storm, the SWORD Unit's mission is to gather intelligence on the movements of the Pirate Emperors in the New World.
"Your task is—
"To become a notorious pirate, infiltrate the New World, and penetrate the inner circles of the Emperors!"
Storm tilted his head, raising his thumb to point at himself.
Me, take on the Emperors?